Friends - Bechloe
by cinnamonsweat
Summary: Inspired by what I imagine/wish happens in scenes that we don't see in Pitch Perfect 2, slightly alternate storylines perhaps. Also inspired by the song Friends by Ed Sheeran
1. Chapter 1

_'You're making me sexually confused.'_

Beca had failed multiple times at intimidating their opposition, but that one line specifically hung around in Chloe's mind for the rest of that day. She wasn't really sure why. It was almost like having a song stuck in her head.

All the way home from the riff off house she would just randomly hear Beca's voice saying it again.

She caught herself staring at Beca a few times when this happened. Something about it was odd, maybe just because it didn't seem like something Beca would say. Maybe it was something else though.

'Chloe? You're awake right?' Beca's voice followed a soft knock at her door.

'Yeah, Becs, come in.' Sleep wasn't coming easy for Chloe, she felt kind of anxious or stressed, which was frustrating because she wasn't really sure why. Maybe it was the idea of no more Bella's. It's true that she doesn't deal with change very well, and that's putting it lightly.

Chloe shuffled over in her bed, knowing Beca would sit there as she usually does, talking rapidly about some new arrangement she was working on. Chloe really liked when Beca did this, she got so passionate and caught up in her own thoughts. She also liked that Beca only did this with Chloe. It was just their thing. It was nice.

'Please tell me you've worked a Beyoncé song into our next performance, you know how much I'm dying to- Are… are you okay?'

Beca's face was tear streaked. 'Yeah,' She sniffled. 'I just.. No.' She slumped down onto Chloe's bed and Chloe sat up immediately to pull her into a tight hug. Comforting Beca was her forte.

'I saw that you were just on Facebook, and I knew Stacie was out. Amy's out somewhere too, and I just… I'm sorry I just really need some company right now.' Beca squeezed Chloe as she apologised then let go. The two of them were sitting with lazy crossed legs, facing each other.

'Hey, don't apologise. Wanna talk about it?' Chloe asked. She always asked this first, because sometimes it was better for Beca if they just ignored the problem at hand. She has her own weird way of dealing with things. Chloe preferred to just vent everything when she was stressed, she couldn't understand how Beca managed to bottle things up the way she did.

'It's nothing really. Jesse and I just had an argument.' Beca fiddled intently with her sock, avoiding eye contact.

'What about?'

'God, what don't we fight about?! We argue over everything these days. I just don't feel like putting up with it right now.'

Beca turned herself around so she was next to Chloe, and slouched back against the beds headboard.

'So that's me… What are you doing up?'

'I just couldn't sleep.'

'That's it?' Beca sounded suspicious.

'Yeah. Hey, I'm not the one that needs to do the talking right now. C'mon, you know you can complain all you like, I don't mind.'

'No, I'm okay. I kinda just don't want to feel lonely tonight.'

Chloe nodded to show that she understood. She pulled her duvet over the both of them and wriggled into a more comfortable position. Beca thanked her in the form of a small smile.

'Hmm… How about a back rub?'

Beca looked like she wanted to say no for a second, as though she was having an internal debate over the question. After a moment she gave a little shrug.

'That sounds kind of nice, actually.'

Her voice was really quiet and she sniffled again. Chloe couldn't help thinking that she was kind of cute when she was sad.

Beca rolled onto her side and Chloe began rubbing circles with her thumbs into Beca's back. She slowly began applying more pressure and used the pattern on Beca's plaid shirt to measure the areas she'd covered.

Beca didn't say anything, but she sighed, and Chloe felt her shoulders start to relax.

After a while her hands started to ache, so Chloe slowed down to just gently tracing patterns. She assumed Beca was asleep, judging by her deep breathing. But conscious or not, what the brunette did next surprised her.

Beca's hand grabbed Chloe's, pulling it closer to her. Chloe's arm wrapped around Beca's waist, and Beca just held her arm there. Chloe assumed this was subconscious or something, but she still liked it, although she was in a bit of an awkward position, so she scooted forward slightly, turning it into a proper embrace, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath.

Chloe couldn't help noticing how nice she was only a faint trace of perfume, and yet it was still a very sweet, homely kind of smell.

Sleep didn't seem so hard now that Beca was there, and as she was drifting off she felt almost proud of the fact that Beca came to her. She loved how close they were as friends. She knew for a fact that that girl would not open up like that for anyone else, and something about knowing that comforted Chloe.

But just as she was falling, she realised something that brought her back to consciousness. She realised what had been bugging her all day, and more importantly, why it had bugging her.

 _'You're making me sexually confused.'_

Chloe kept hearing it because, Chloe wished Beca had said that to her.

It seemed so obvious once she realised it. Friends don't think about friends that way. Friends don't hold hands and spoon in their bed, friends don't think about how nice they smell, or how cute they look. Friends don't wish they made their friends sexually confused.

'Oh, crap.' Was all Chloe thought when she realised how much she liked Beca in that moment. Because her feelings were so accidental they actually surprised her. They confused her too, but eventually she couldn't fight off her heavy eye lids,so she let her head rest in the crook of Beca's neck as sleep consumed her.


	2. Chapter 2

Beca, the girl she'd had a good feeling about since the start. The girl she'd considered a challenge to recruit to the Bella's. The girl who had surprised her with how nice and willing she actually was. The girl who made her excited to try new things purely because of how passionate she was about the new ideas she brought to the table. The girl who made her enjoy the Bella's so much that the thought of leaving was terrifying. The girl who was shy but still knew how to lead. The girl who was shy, but not for Chloe. Never for Chloe, really.

Beca, the girl that Chloe was all but in love with.

Looking back over the years, Chloe was so frustrated at how obvious her feelings seemed. Frustrated because it had taken her impossibly long to actually figure out what they were.

They'd had a long day of practice for their convention performance. For a while it helped Chloe take her mind of that night, and her feelings, and the constant waves of thoughts that threatened to drown her, but only for a while.

She found herself craving the intimacy again. Waking up next to Beca had felt equally as nice as falling asleep next to her. It was probably the best sleep she'd had in a long time, and just thinking about it was enough to make her smile.

But her and Beca hadn't had a moment alone together since that night. Beca was busy with something, and she never quite managed to tell Chloe exactly what. Chloe was kind of annoyed that Beca seemed to be keeping something from her, but she told herself that the girl just needed some time, she'd tell Chloe soon enough, she always did.

After practice Chloe wandered around the Bella house, trying to figure out what she wanted to do. She wanted to talk to someone to figure out what she was feeling, but she didn't really want to talk to anyone other than Beca, which was annoying, because she was also scared to tell her, worried about what she might think.

She was having a constant battle with herself over whether or not she should tell Beca. Not that it mattered anyway, she hadn't had the slightest glimpse of an opportunity. But still, her mind was conflicted.

The only alcohol in their fridge was two bottles of beer. Chloe didn't know who they belonged to, she didn't even really like beer, but she decided to take one, and headed to the front porch, thinking it would be a nice, quiet spot to sit and think.

She opened the front door and froze immediately when she saw Beca, surprised that she was there. She'd planned on being alone, just until she could calm her mind, and she considered turning around and going back to her room, but Beca turned and saw her.

'Sit.' She commanded, slapping the floor next to her.

'I thought you were with Jesse?' Chloe asked as she sat down

'Yeah, I, uh… Something came up.' There it was, there was something she wasn't saying. She knew Chloe noticed too because she changed subject quickly.

'Good idea.' She nodded at the beer, stretching her hand out, waiting. Chloe laughed and handed it to her, after having a mouthful.

Beca sighed after taking a long sip. 'Chlo, do you like the arrangement we're doing?'

'Yeah, totally, I love it.'

'And you don't think the choreography and everything is too much?'

She passed the bottle back to Chloe.

'I mean, it's a bit more than we're used to. But it's what we need to top DSM, right?'

'Yeah, I guess.'

Silence followed, but it wasn't awkward. Chloe used to always think that silence had to be filled, and it wasn't till becoming friends with Beca that she learned to appreciate the quiet moments just as much as talking. It was actually quite comfortable, just the two of them sitting there, until Chloe's mind was filled with nothing other than 'Tell her tell her tell her tell her.'

'What do you think you'll do after college?' The question surprised Chloe.

'I don't know, I haven't really figured that out yet. Kind of why I stayed.'

'Just kind of…?' Beca knew her well enough to know that there was more to it than that.

'Well, that and the fact that I don't want to leave the Bella's.'

She passed the bottle to Beca again. She was thinking about how strange it was that if only a few words were changed in that sentence, how big of a difference it would've made. She could have easily told Beca she didn't want to leave her. But fear was still holding her back.

'I'm glad you stayed, you know. Like, don't get me wrong, I'm all for you having a career and a future and stuff, but the Bella's would suck without you man. The last few years would've been so different.'

Chloe couldn't suppress her smile.

'Well, how could I ever leave when you keep saying nice things like that?' She said it in a joking tone, but she was getting closer to what she really wanted to say.

Beca leaned into Chloe's side, resting her head on the red head's shoulder. Chloe without thought or hesitation rested her head on top of Beca's. The movement came naturally to her. And she felt the same, indescribable feeling she had felt the other night, the warm feeling in her chest. The kind of feeling that told her that this was more than just friendship. Chloe wanted to feel like this forever. It was a kind of happiness like no other. She couldn't bear the thought of losing this feeling. She realised then why she was scared of telling Beca.

What if she reacted weirdly? What if it made her uncomfortable, or made the two of them distant? Telling Beca how she felt could mean losing their closeness, which is what she loved, what she craved.

'I never understood why we didn't get a room together.' Beca said

Chloe didn't want to jump to any conclusions, but it seemed like Beca was thinking about that night too.

'Yeah, we shouldn't have left Amy in charge of the room plans. Why did we think that was a good idea?'

Beca laughed. 'I don't think we ever did, I think we were too busy trying to decide on some song for the Bella's.'

Chloe grabbed the almost empty bottle now. 'Maybe Amy was sick of us constantly talking about arrangements.'

'True. Still, I think that was the best sleep I've had since coming to college. I'd 100% choose your bed over Amy's snoring any night. Not to mention her sleep-farts.' She giggled for a moment. 'We should have got a room together.'

Chloe nodded, her mind racing; Okay, she had to know at least a little bit. That's not something a friend would say, surely. Or maybe it was. But either way, Beca had felt just as good about that night as Chloe had, that was clear. Beca knew Chloe the same way Chloe knew her, so surely it wasn't too crazy to think that Beca could see what Chloe saw, right?

Chloe decided she would tell Beca. Not now, she wasn't really sure when, or how, but she would do it. Even if it went wrong, she couldn't let Beca leave college without knowing how she made her feel.

The two of them finished the beer and stared out at the lake as the sun set, until it was to cold to stay outside.


	3. Chapter 3

Their convention centre performance was a modern day tragedy. It seemed like the Bella's were truly falling apart, and Chloe thought that if she lost the Bella's, then she'd lose Beca, and the thought of no Beca made it hard for her to breathe. That's why she suggested the retreat, she hoped it would bring the two of them closer together, but if anything she seemed to be distancing herself from Chloe, which really hurt, because until now, she was the only one Beca had never done that to. That was what Chloe loved; knowing that she was the only one Beca would always let in. Maybe something had changed for Beca, maybe she didn't see Chloe like that any more

Telling Beca her feelings seemed more impossible by the second, and losing her seemed like the only path that Chloe was going down.

Beca was stressed, that was clear. But not about the Bella's. About what? Chloe didn't have a clue. She thought the group activities they were doing might loosen her up a bit, they seemed like harmless fun. Everyone else was having a good time, but Beca looked like she couldn't wait to get away. Chloe again decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, thinking maybe they just needed to talk one on one, but Aubrey didn't really allow them a moment to spare.

Chloe felt an urgency to talk to Beca, to tell her all that was on her mind, and this only grew stronger during the day. She began to feel like it was a now or never situation, thinking that if Beca kept distancing herself the way she was, then Chloe would never get another chance to tell her.

So despite her fears that sharing her feelings would just be the nail in the coffin, and despite the several other Bella's crammed into the small tent, Chloe decided it was time she finally said something.

Beca settled down next to Chloe, who had strategically planned where she lay in the tent to make sure Beca would be next to her. Chloe rolled onto her side, facing Beca, and even that small movement took a lot of courage for Chloe to do. Thankfully, Beca did the same, and their faces were only centimetres apart.

'What are we doing here?' There was a harshness in her tone, she still seemed very stressed.

'We're bonding.' She smiled 'You seem tense, do you need a back rub?'

Chloe couldn't help asking that, she figured since it had worked last time, maybe it would have the same effect this time. As she talked, her hand absent-mindedly brushed the hair out of Beca's face, because it looked like it was bothering her. She didn't even realise she was doing it until Beca shook her hand away.

'Several body parts are touching my back right now, thank you.'

Okay, that definitely was not working, she was still being really defensive. Chloe couldn't stop her eyes dropping to Beca's lips. A glance was enough to make her wonder what they felt like, enough to make her think that maybe she should just shut up and kiss her, surely that would say everything that needed to be said. Because for all the worrying she'd done over telling Beca, she never actually thought about what she should actually say. If anything, kissing her seemed like an easier option. But she knew she had to try and say it, and she knew a spider-man kiss was a ridiculous idea really.

'You know, Beca, we're very close, but I feel like this retreat is really going to let us discover everything about each other.' Was she crazy, or was Beca staring at her lips too?

'Is that right?'

Chloe nodded, staring into the girls dark blue eyes. She still wasn't getting it. This was so much harder than she thought. Another glance at her lips set her mind off; _'Just do it, what's the worst that could happen?'_ And she had to remind herself again why it was a bad idea, although that was hard to do as well.

'You know one of my biggest regrets is that I didn't do enough experimenting in college.' No, it wasn't exactly what she meant to say, but she didn't want to come on too strong; becoming very conscious of everyone else in the tent. But she figured it said enough. She hoped that Beca would know that it meant more than that, and that maybe Beca would understand the feeling.

'You're so weird.'

Chloe's heart sunk.

Beca's tone hadn't even changed in the slightest. Was she even listening to what she said? All the build up, all the stress, and Beca barely even acknowledged what Chloe had said.

'Thanks.' Her smile was forced this time, and disappeared instantly when Beca rolled over.

'I wanna go home.' She heard her say.

Well, now Chloe did too.

—-

All of the next day, an anger built up inside of Chloe. She was usually a confident person, but she felt embarrassed that she let her guard down. Embarrassed that she'd let herself believe telling Beca was a good idea. Embarrassed at how vulnerable she'd let herself be.

She was annoyed at Beca, for being distant and moody sure, but most of it was irrationally fuelled, although she wouldn't admit it. She was just so disappointed, because all of those years of their close friendship, everything the two of them shared, all that time together, supporting each other through highs and lows, their inexplicably unique connection, surely all of that deserved more than just _'You're so weird.'_

So when their fight broke out, she wasn't even surprised. She knew bottling it up wouldn't last. It just wasn't her thing. Although, she was careful not to make the same mistake from the night before. She wasn't sharing anything like that with Beca again.

'You don't think that we haven't all realised that you've been a little checked out lately?' They'd never fought before, not really, but now the words just poured out of her.

'C'mon Beca, just tell her.' Fat Amy said. So Beca _was_ hiding something, but Amy got to know? While Chloe didn't? That just made Chloe feel worse.

'I heard that!' She snapped. 'Tell me what?'

Amy mumbled something but Chloe was too furious to focus on her words. There was an awkward silence for a moment as Beca avoided eye-contact while Chloe frowned at her, waiting.

'Alright, I've been interning at a recording studio, and a legit music producer wants to hear my work. God forbid I have something going on outside this group!'

'Okay… So why would you keep something like that from me?'

Chloe couldn't fathom why this was something she'd specifically kept from her. She was usually the first to know about things like this, Beca always rambled on about her passions and what she wanted to do after college. The idea that maybe Beca didn't see Chloe the same way any more came to her mind, and once she thought that, she struggled to act like she wasn't fighting off tears.

'Cause you're obsessed! You all are!'

Beca went on, but Chloe didn't hear everything she was saying any more. The only words that she took in were 'when I leave'.

'Okay, so you've been lying to me for the entire year, and now you're gonna flake out? Now? When the worlds is like right after graduation?'

'Oh my god, _enough_ about the worlds! I ca… I'm out of here.'

'Oh okay, so you're just going to leave now!?' It's what she said, but her mind was yelling at her to tell her to come back, tell her she's sorry, tell her that she was in love with her.

And that was the truth, she was in love with her. She'd been so careful to not admit it to herself before, scared of what it meant, but now as the one she loved walked away, nothing had ever been clearer than the fact that Chloe Beale was in love with Beca Mitchell.


	4. Chapter 4

Maybe there's something about being caught in a bear trap, perhaps it's one of those life changing moments that can't be described, and only other people that have also been caught in bear traps understand. Who knows, maybe it's just one of those weird things. Whatever it was, being hung several feet above the ground in a net definitely changed something in Beca. Who knew that would be what it took?

She'd apologised (which was a rare occasion), and she told the Bella's that she loved them. And Chloe, having a huge soft spot for the brunette, couldn't help forgiving her. They hugged and made amends and- _God her hugs feel so good._ Beca had some bruises and grazes, and Chloe insisted on looking after her, finding the nearest first aid kit and tending to Beca as she kept saying things like 'I'm fine' 'It's not that bad' but she didn't seem to be trying to hard to stop the red head. She thanked her, and she really meant it. It was a strangely calm moment in-between them, considering what had just happened moments ago. Chloe managed to forget for a while why she was angry at the girl.

But it wasn't as easy as that, they didn't really go back to normal, or at least not for Chloe. As they sat around the camp fire that night, and everyone was talking about their futures and their plans, she realised that maybe she should just let her go, move on and all that. And if moving on wasn't possible, then maybe her only option was to love Beca from afar.

The idea of letting Beca go made Chloe sad, but she knew it was the right thing to do. She wanted to somehow tell Beca that she was okay with her moving on, or that she was at least acknowledging that she would have to say goodbye. A song came to mind, and she realised how perfectly it fit. It probably was strange that she remembered it after all these years, but she didn't care.

So she sang; _'I got my ticket for the long way round.'_

Beca instantly recognised it, and smiled a big, goofy smile in response.

She joined in; _'two bottles of whisky for the way'_

As they sang, they barely broke eye contact, and something about the look on Beca's face told Chloe that maybe she knew what it meant. The other Bella's joined in, but there may as well have only been the two of them there, the way they were singing to each other. It reminded her of the first time they'd sung together, how Beca had let her guard down to Chloe over the span of half a David Guetta song. They'd connected instantly, and Chloe always valued that.

Seeing the way she was shy with everyone else, even Jesse, it made her feel like Beca had chosen her, even though it was probably the other way around. But that's what made what they had special; it wasn't like any other friendship, this was different, because it was theirs.

 _'Oh, you're gonna miss me when I'm gone.'_

They went silent. Obviously Beca wasn't literally gone yet, but tears still welled up in Chloe's eyes. Knowing it was the right thing to do sure as hell did not make it easier to do. Beca noticed, she thought, because she spoke quickly, averting the groups attention.

'Did we just find our sound?'

It was supposed to be a goodbye, but there was something about the look in Beca's eyes when she looked back at her and smiled softly, it made Chloe feel hopeful again, and Chloe cursed herself for having no self control. She could seriously use some sort of on and off switch for her feelings, it would probably solve 90% of her problems.

—-

She had been kind of eager to get the whole graduation ceremony process out of the way pretty quickly, but she'd over estimated her time, and was now sitting in the backyard of the Bella house, robed and ready, waiting impatiently for the other girls to catch up to her. She was struggling to keep it together too, because she had no idea what the next step in her life would be. After seven years, she really should have figured it out by now. Maybe she lived in the moment too much.

The back door squeaked. Chloe heard her voice before she saw her.

'There you are! What are you doing out here?' Beca sat down next to her. They hadn't really had a one on one talk since their fight, and Chloe was scared of what she might say.

'Just… Waiting. What are you doing?'

She gave a small laugh. 'Waiting.'

Chloe smiled and nodded, looking down at her feet, as though something down there was somehow more interesting to look at than Beca, like there was something better than her eyes, or her smile. There wasn't, of course.

'Nervous?'

Chloe nodded again, still not looking up, though she wanted to. Oh god how she wanted to.

'I know what will cheer you up.'

'What's that?'

'I worked a Beyoncé song into our Worlds performance.'

Chloe looked up, and Beca was grinning ear to ear, waiting for Chloe's response.

'No way!'

'Uhuh.'

'Finally! Wait, is this how Beca Mitchell apologises?'

She laughed at that, then thought for a moment. 'I already apologised. This is how I say thank you.'

'For what?'

'Just… For you. You've done so much for me you know? I wouldn't be here-I mean, I would be a completely different person without you. You're always looking after me. I would never have joined the Bella's, I probably would have dropped out of college, I would probably still be that shy girl that shuts everyone out.'

'You still are.' Chloe didn't really want to be mean, but she couldn't stop herself from saying that.

Beca sighed, it was her turn to avoid eye contact now. 'I really am sorry for not telling you, about the internship and everything, you know?'

'Why did you do it though? I don't understand that bit.'

'It's really stupid.' She shook her head, as though she was annoyed at herself.

'What?'

'All year, I was just thinking about this day. Graduation. I was scared of how hard it would be, I realise now how stupid it is, cause I'm literally going to see you tomorrow, but back then I thought that leaving college meant, well, leaving you. I didn't want to have to say goodbye. I didn't think I'd be able to do it. So I guess I thought if we weren't as close of friends it'd be easier, but again, it was stupid to think that shutting you out would even work. It was actually really hard'

Chloe laughed at that. She was so relieved, and felt stupid too, because this whole time they'd been feeling the same way, and neither of them knew. The way Beca spoke about her made her heart swell too, because she didn't say 'leaving the Bella's', she was only talking about Chloe.

'You're so weird.' She told her. 'As if I would just let you go like that.'

Beca laughed again, clearly glad that Chloe wasn't still mad at her.

'That's why I need to thank you; you don't give up easily. I like that.'

A silence followed for a moment, it looked like Beca was contemplating something, her eyebrows were pulled together in… concentration? Concern? Chloe wasn't sure.

'Did you… mean what you said? In the tent?'

Chloe was certain her heart had literally stopped.

Beca cautiously continued. 'About… Like… Experimenting?'

Chloe momentarily forgot what breathing was as she tried to assemble her thoughts. She blurted out some words in a panic.

'Oh just forget about that I don't know what-'

Beca leant forward, paused for a moment, their faces centimetres apart, then pressed her lips to Chloe's. Chloe's mind melted, and without ever really making the decision to, she kissed back. Her lips were so soft, and they just felt so right against hers. Her heart was now beating loudly in her chest, she thought it might explode. Beca's hand rested on the side of Chloe's face, her thumb stroking her cheek slightly, and Chloe's hand instinctually found its way to the back of Beca's head, holding her there, pulling her in, as though they could somehow get closer.

But just as quickly as it had started, it was over. Beca pulled away and giddily smiled at Chloe's reaction, proud of herself.

'Okay, so… there's your thanks. We technically haven't graduated yet, so it still counts, right?' Chloe. Was. Speechless. 'Just don't tell Jesse.' She winked, and went back inside.

 _That's why friends should sleep in other beds,_

 _And friends shouldn't kiss me like you do,_

 _And I know that there's a limit to everything,_

 _But my friends will never love me like you._

 _No, my friends will never love me like you do._


	5. Chapter 5

Chloe's phone buzzed and the screen dimly lit her and Stacie's room. It was late at night, but, as usual, Chloe was struggling to sleep. She checked the notification, seeing that it was a message from Beca that simply read:

'You awake?'

She replied instantly.

'Yeah, what's up?'

The 3 little dots that told Chloe a message was being typed appeared and disappeared several times before she received the next message.

'Can you come to my room?'

'Sure, be there in a sec.'

She wasted no time on climbing the stairs, skipping two each step, and she didn't even bother knocking on her door, she just when straight in.

Beca was sitting on her bed, on top of the covers, fully dressed, complete with a look of worry on her face. Amy was no where to be seen.

'Are you okay?'

Chloe sat down facing Beca, exactly as the brunette had done on Chloe's bed all those nights ago. It was their last night in the house before they left for Copenhagen.

'I ended it.'

'What?'

'Me and Jesse. I just… ended it.'

'Oh my god, are you okay?'

Beca flopped back onto her bed. 'I don't know.'

'What happened?'

'He got this job in New York that he really wanted, and I'm really happy for him, I am, but we struggle enough as it is- and he lives here. He doesn't leave for another two months or something, but I had to do it.. I knew long distance wouldn't work out for us.'

She sat up again, facing Chloe, who wasn't really sure what to say, so she just let Beca talk.

'I think I knew it would end at some point, though.'

'What do you mean?'

'It just wasn't really working, you know? From the start, I thought I liked him, and I do, but not in that way, I think. Not the way he likes me. It wasn't till lately… the more I thought about it the more I realised that we just didn't make sense. I realised that isn't what liking someone should feel like. I didn't want to hurt him though, I still care about him, you know?'

Chloe nodded. 'What made you realise you didn't like him?'

Beca shrugged. 'I dunno..' She cleared her throat. 'Just did. I mean the fact that I feel bad about hurting him more than I feel sad that it's over says enough.'

'So you're okay?'

'I guess… I just want to take my mind of it for a while.'

'Wanna watch Friends?'

Beca smiled at that, giving a little nod. They set themselves up in Beca's bed, surrounded by pillows, some that they'd stolen from Amy's bed. Beca soon fell asleep, after only two episodes. She was holding Chloe with one arm tightly around her waist, while her head rested on the red heads shoulder. Chloe gently moved her arm so she was more comfortable, resting it on Beca's back. She closed her eyes, feeling at ease with Beca so close to her. She was still worried for her, because even though she'd said she was fine, Chloe swore she heard a sniffle or two, but she decided it was best to leave it. So they fell asleep like that, tangled limbs and all, and Beca did not loosen her grip once throughout the night.

—-

The flight to Copenhagen was long, but time passed quickly for Chloe. Her and Beca sat next to each other the whole flight, and Beca's screen hadn't worked, so they shared Chloe's. Chloe was starting to feel hopeful again, because it felt like they were closer than they ever had been. She knew she shouldn't, she knew the kiss they'd shared had meant nothing to Beca, but she couldn't help it; she was starting to think that maybe she should try telling Beca again, and saying it properly this time. But she remembered how horrible it had felt last time, and that held her back.

When they arrived at the hotel, Beca insisted that they got a room together. If she hadn't, Chloe would have anyway. She assumed they would spend the night practising for the worlds, or just generally being lazy and watching more Friends or something, but much to both girls' dismay, Amy and Stacie had other plans in mind. And if Chloe had learned anything from her time at college, it was that there was no stopping those two once they knew what they wanted.

So several shots and a number of colourful cocktails later, the four of them were sat around a table in the corner of some club that was playing all of the top 100 hits, and they were all giggling at nothing in particular.

Chloe was kind of glad Beca and herself had been forced out, because she was actually having a great time. They'd danced together all night, and every time they thought they were done, another song that they loved would come on, and they'd excitedly sing to each other and, hand in hand, would pull each other onto the dance floor again.

Now they were all laughing at something Beca had said, because she'd messed it up and it sounded weird. If they'd been sober, they probably would not have found it half as funny, but right now they could not stop laughing.

Chloe had a habit of leaning into Beca when she laughed uncontrollably. She would grab her hand or her knee, in an attempt to get a grip on something, and normally, she didn't even notice she was doing this, but she noticed Amy and Stacy give each other a look, making her pull away immediately, becoming aware of what she was doing.

But as it turns out, the look was in fact about a man eyeing Beca, and when Beca turned to see what Amy and Stacy were looking at, he winked and gave her a little wave. Beca blushed immediately, and Chloe felt a rush of jealousy.

'Dare you to go get his number.' Amy said

'Nope. Not happening.' Beca furiously shook her head.

'Why not?'

'Because, I just don't want to.'

'Cause you don't think you can do it?' Stacie prompted

'I could so do it!'

'Prove it then.'

Beca sipped on her drink for a moment.

'Fine.'

Before Chloe could protest, Beca was off, and Stacie and Amy watched eagerly as she chatted with the man. They were close to each other, leaning in even closer to talk, and it was taking everything in Chloe to not go over there and rip him away from Beca. They exchanged phones for a moment, then Beca got up, smiled at him and walked back to the table.

'Told you.' She smirked, picking up her drink again. Stacie giggled and clapped. She started daring Amy to do something, but Chloe didn't hear, because Beca had poked her side and started whispering to her.

'I didn't give him my number.'

'What?'

'I gave him Amy's number.'

'Oh my god Beca!' the both lost themselves in a fit of giggles, only to be rudely interrupted by a loud crash.

It turns out Stacie had dared Fat Amy to do a handstand, and it turns out, the manager of the club did not appreciate handstands, especially when they knocked over a table and spilt several drinks everywhere.

It was probably for the best, Chloe thought as the four of them walked back to their hotel, because she was feeling kind of tired, and she could tell Beca was too. But Amy and Stacie still weren't done.

'Chloe's turn!' Stacie announced.

'No thanks.'

'You have to, everyone else has!' Amy whined.

'Stacie hasn't' She pointed out as they turned a corner.

Stacie shrugged. 'I'll go next. Now what should we dare Chloe to do?' she asked Amy.

'Guys stop.'

'I dare you to kiss Stacie!' Amy shouted

'I'm not gonna kiss Stacie.'

Stacie joke pouted 'Why not?'

'Just cause, you guys are drunk, this is stupid and I'm not going to kiss Stacie.'

Amy tripped over nothing in particular, but it didn't distract her enough.

'But I thought you were all about experimenting Beale?'

'You heard that!?'

'Yeah you know it wasn't just the two of you in that tent, believe it or not.'

'Ugh whatever I'm still not kissing Stacie.'

'But you kissed Beca.'

'YOU SAW THAT?'

'Yeah, duh, our house has windows you know. You're not as secretive as you think.'

Chloe just shook her head and kept on walking.

'Chloeeee' Fat Amy whined like a child asking their parent for a toy.

'It's just different okay, now can we drop this?'

'Why's it different?'

'Cause I don't like Stacie the way I like Beca.'

The group stopped walking. Chloe had been so frustrated with Amy that she'd almost forgotten Beca was there.

'You like me?'

'That's not- I didn't say that.' Chloe was panicking, this was not at all how she had planned on telling Beca.

'Chloe are you kidding me?' Beca sounded angry.

'What?!'

'You like me?'

'Maybe, I don't know.' Chloe was beyond the point of recovery, but she still was struggling to be honest.

'For how long?'

'A while.. I guess.'

'Jesus Chloe don't you think that's something you should have told me?'

'It's not exactly an easy thing to bring up you know. Besides you were with Jesse.'

It was like their fight at the boot camp all over again. Chloe was scared that Beca would walk away again, even though she had no where to go. Beca just stood there shaking her head and running her hands through her hair.

'4 whole years of college together, of course it had to be after we graduate that I find out you like me back.' Beca had said it to herself more than Chloe, as though it wasn't even a big deal to say.

Fat Amy stage whispered to Stacie. 'I knew it.'

'Wait, you like me?' Chloe was just as angry now.

'Yeah well you like me.'

'Are you serious you were just mad at me for not telling you, why didn't you tell me?'

'Because I thought if you liked me then you would've told me by now!'

Amy spoke up. 'Uhh, you two realise you're fighting over the fact that you _like each other_ , right?'

Chloe laughed and shook her head. Beca laughed after a moment.

'You're an idiot.' She said, right before pulling Chloe into tight hug.

'You're the idiot.' Chloe replied, then she kissed her. She didn't have to hold back this time, or feel worried about what might happen, and somehow that made this kiss feel so much better than their last one. One hand was roaming over Beca's back while the other ran through her hair. Beca's hands were resting on her waist, and she kissed back with so much passion that Chloe forgot about everything else in that moment except for Beca. That was all that she cared about.

They stumbled into their room that night and feel asleep on the same bed, and Chloe hoped more than anything that she would remember every single moment the next morning.


	6. Chapter 6

(5 months later)

Chloe packed her bag up, said goodbye to her other class mates and began her walk home. She'd been attending a training course for a couple of weeks now, and in 2 months time she would be a fully qualified personal trainer. She still wanted to be a music teacher, but it was a slow process to build up to that, and she wanted to take some time to settle down in the right place, so she felt like personal training was the perfect job for her in the meantime.

She was determined to not check her phones map, even though it was her first time walking back to the new apartment. She was convinced that she'd looked at it enough to remember where to go, and she was sure looking at it would only make her worry and doubt herself, and heaven knows she'd done enough of that for a while.

It was time for her to move on from... all of that.

She didn't even want to think about it any more. It seemed so silly now but she still remembers how it felt, and she never wanted to go back to that. But now she was in a new city, with a new job, sort of, and with a nice new apartment, sort of. Well, the apartment itself was old, and several things didn't work, and there was this weird smell that always seemed to linger slightly, and there was no furniture yet... but it was all still new to her. And more importantly, she was finally moving on.

She took a left, then a right, then past the cute bakery and... she wasn't sure if it was a left or right turn at the end of this street. She was distracted momentarily by the idea of bringing home some cupcakes.

So, guilty though she felt, she checked her phone, only for a few seconds, just to look at the next turn.

After that, however, she didn't need to check again. Although she wasn't fond of the idea of coming home alone, to an empty apartment, she was still proud of herself for that one small achievement. Besides, she'd have to get used to being alone in the apartment eventually, she thought as she looked for her keys, because it wou-

She didn't have her keys.

Of course.

Her first night in her new apartment and she'd already messed up. She started panicking, breathing fast, forehead scrunched in worry as she tried to think of how to solve this on her own. Then, to only make things worse, she heard a noise, and the door handle started to turn. The thought of someone breaking into her apartment should have made her run, but instead her panic only made her freeze.

Then Beca's face appeared as the door opened, and she'd never felt more relieved before.

'Hey! What do you look so worried for?' Beca said.

'Oh my god, Beca don't do that to me!'

Beca frowned. 'Do... what?'

'You said you were going to be at work, I wasn't expecting you home for ages. I thought someone had broken into the apartment!'

Beca snorted. 'What exactly are they going to steal? Our camping tent and lawn chairs?'

Chloe attempted to push past Beca and enter the apartment they'd bought together. 'Whatever, it was still scary.'

As Chloe walked past, Beca grabbed her arm and tugged her back, pulling her into a tight hug. The momentum caused them to fall back onto the door, slamming it shut. Chloe wriggled around in Beca's arms until she was facing her, putting one arm against the door to give her support.

'What the hell was that?'

'I was trying to be cute.' Beca laughed.

'It kind of hurt.' Chloe pouted.

'Yeah wasn't the best move, was it?'

'Nope. Really gotta step your game up.' She said as she walked to the kitchen and lifted herself up to sit on the kitchen bench. She looked around at the empty apartment, well almost empty, Beca was right, there was a poorly constructed tent and two lawn chairs that were practically falling apart.

'We also really need to get some furniture in here.'

Beca followed her footsteps and placed her hands on top of Chloe's. 'I don't know, I mean the tent is kind of growing on me. I put a lot of work into that you know.'

Beca leaned forward, and though she had to stand on her toes to reach, she kissed Chloe. Chloe leant down slightly, making it easier for Beca, and kissed back. She moved a hand out from underneath Beca's, gently placing two fingers underneath Beca's chin, tilting her face up slightly, pulling her further into the kiss. Beca bit down on her lip, tugging slightly as Chloe pulled away.

'Where did that thing come from, anyway?' Chloe asked.

Beca shrugged and quickly kissed her again before answering. 'My dad came by and dropped it off.'

Chloe kissed her back, and Beca's hands found their way to her waist, pulling her even closer. It had been almost 5 months since they'd started dating, and they were even moving in together now, but still every single day Chloe was amazed that she could kiss Beca like this. She couldn't believe that she didn't have to hold back or resist the urge like she used to. She could kiss her whenever she wanted, she could run her hands through her hair, and Beca could have both hands on her hips, and Chloe could wrap her legs around Beca's waist, she couldn't believe that she was somehow lucky enough for this to be her reality now.

The kiss grew more passionate, and Beca's hands began slowly moving up her back, underneath her shirt. Her fingers were so light and gentle, teasing Chloe, and they'd just reached the clasp of her bra when the two of them froze. There was a knock at the door.

Beca pulled away from Chloe and sighed. 'Shit I forgot. I ordered pizza.'

The two sat in their tent eating pizza, sharing stories from their day and ideas for their apartment. They decided to have an Ikea trip tomorrow, since they both didn't have to anything on the next day. Beca had landed a music producing job where she'd interned, which allowed her a lot of freedom at her job.

Chloe finished her last slice and sat in silence for a moment, just marvelling at how well everything had turned out for her so far. She'd never imagined that she'd be sharing an apartment with Beca Mitchell, her music producer girlfriend, working towards a job that she loved. Not everything felt quite in place, there was still a lot to do, and a lot to come, but she felt like she was on the way to everything being in place. And that was enough for her.

'What are you smiling at?' Beca asked

'Just thinking about us. Why'd it take so damn long for us to happen? Even Jesse said it made sense.' Chloe gave a small laugh.

'I still blame you. You should've told me.' Beca put the pizza box outside of the tent and moved closer to Chloe, sitting across from her, cross legged.

'Nuh uh, you were the one with the boyfriend, it was your responsibility to tell me.' Chloe playfully argued.

'But you were always the one to tell me everything. Every. Thing. I figured you would have told me that too.'

'Well you figured wrong.' Chloe yawned.

Beca noticed and moved next to Chloe, lying down. She patted the spot next to her.

'Be my little spoon?'

'Beca, you're the shorter one.'

'You don't have a say in this, Beale.' She replied, patting the spot again.

Chloe sighed and lie down on her side next to Beca, and Beca turned off the lamp in the tent. She closed the gap between them, hugging Chloe to her as she pulled a blanket over the both of them.

'For the record, this isn't spooning. Technically we're jet-packing.' Chloe said.

'Go to sleep.' Beca replied.

Chloe rolled over and faced Beca.

'I'm not that tired.' She said.

Beca smirked. 'Well the tent does need christening.'

'You're such an idiot' Chloe said, kissing her girlfriend anyway.

She thanked whatever fate or coincidence had lead to her meeting Beca all those years ago. She was so glad that they'd become friends. Even though it'd been so painful at times, it lead her hear, and that's what matters now. And they were still friends, they never lost that, but they were so much more now.

* * *

A/N: So that's all folks, thanks so much for reading. Sorry it was so short, I never really planned much for this, just wrote what I felt like in the moment, but I'm also writing a highschool AU that will be much longer and have more plot and just, you know, more, so it'd be cool if you read that. Thanks so much! Let me know what you think, as always


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